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TOPIC: Passed on Dec 30, 2015

I passed the PMP exam yesterday! I was elated when I saw the score. The exam was very hard but I managed to get proficient in two domains and moderately proficient in the other domains. To prepare I took the following steps, which in hindsight, may have been a bit excessive, but I had a hard time understanding many of the concepts on first glance, so I panicked and studied intensely for the past two months.

Here is what I did:
1. Read Andy Crowe book 4th edition in July 2015- I bought the book two years ago, so I felt compelled to read it, despite it being outdated.
2. Participated in a vendor Boot Camp 4 months ago-That's when I realized just how much I needed to learn!
3. Watched the PM PrepCast-Fortuntaly a friend told me about Cornelius and I got the PrepCast. I watched some episodes 2 or 3 times depending on my level of understanding and retention.
4. Did all 9 PM Simulator exams-scored 85% the day before my test.
5. Read the PMBOK 2 times, and skimmed it again 48 hours before the test.
6. Used the PMP Formula guide test and studied the guide.
7. Read periodically the questions in this forum.
8. Since I really had a hard time understanding the sequence of the process groups, I spent time, ordering the groups 1-47 based not on the layout in the book but in the order of how they could be implemented based on what you need to complete them, i.e. you need ARR for the Plan Hum Res Mgmt Plan, so you would have to work on the ARR before finishing the HRM plan in order to get it done. It took me lots of time to pump that out, so happy to share it if it will help others. I also numbered them since it was easier for me to remember them by number than by name. It also helped to quickly write everything down during my brain dump time in the test.

In summary, the PrepCast and PMP Simulator were by far the most useful tools. I did not have a study buddy, (wish I had, think it would have been good) unless you count my 9 year old son, who enjoyed listening to the Cornelius's accent and would ask me to explain things to him that he didn't understand.

Lastly, I did something that I haven't done in years... I put the PMBOK under my pillow the night before the test.